Students aren’t always comfortable reporting the problems they’re facing at school, so administrators in the Issaquah School District are trying something new to get them talking.

By the end of September, the district’s five middle schools and four high schools plan to implement Talk About It, a Web-based communications tool that will allow students to post comments while remaining anonymous.

Sena Camarata, assistant principal at Skyline High School, said the program should foster an environment where “students have a voice that they can share with administrators in their building if they have concerns about what’s going on at their school.”

Issaquah’s church community and local government will lead a food drive for the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank beginning Sept. 14.

The organization is in need of staple food items like canned proteins of tuna, chicken and salmon. It also needs jam, cereal, baby food, diapers size five through six, toiletries, canned soups, veggies and fruits.

On Saturdays through Oct. 12, residents can drop off supplies at Fred Meyer, QFC Issaquah, Safeway Issaquah and Front Street Market. Volunteers will greet shoppers at the entrances of each of the grocery stores and provide shoppers with a needs list for their shopping convenience.

Customers should plan ahead for limited services in the city Permit Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 16-20, as staff members undergo training.

Permit Center staff will not be available to assist customers during that time. However, planners will be available, building inspections will still occur and customers can still drop off materials at the front counter.

Questions about the temporary change in service? Call the Development Services Department at 837-3100.

Few raised questions in the first public hearing on proposed zoning for a Klahanie-area annexation.

After the Issaquah City Council adopted a resolution July 5 to initiate an annexation election, it must hold two public hearings on proposed zoning at least 30 days apart for citizens to offer testimony. The first took place during the Sept. 3 regular council meeting.

“It allows the public to ask questions of the council,” Long Range Planning Manager Trish Heinonen said in a short presentation before the hearing, where she informed the council of its role in the meeting. “You don’t take any formal action. You just let us know what you would like us to prepare for you in that pre-annexation ordinance that would come to you in October.”

After almost a year of speculation, the United States Department of Justice has decided to defer to Initiative 502.

Though it maintains that marijuana remains an illegal drug under the Controlled Substances Act and federal prosecutors will continue to aggressively enforce the statute, the Department of Justice announced Aug. 29 that it would respect states that have legalized its recreational use in the 2012 election. However, it clearly stated that enforcement and regulation must remain a top priority.

Friends of Issaquah Salmon Hatchery and Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park are welcoming salmon home to Issaquah Creek on Sept. 14 from noon to 5 p.m. at Lake Sammamish State Park, 2000 N.W. Sammamish Road.

Visitors can learn about the two organizations as well as a number of other local groups focused on environmental stewardship.

King County’s Boundary Review Board will hold a public hearing for the proposed Klahanie-area annexation Sept. 18.

The 7 p.m. hearing will begin in the Holiday Inn Issaquah at 1801 12th Ave. N.W. The purpose of the meeting is to hear testimony and deliberate on Issaquah’s decision to ask city voters about annexation.

Mercer Island City Councilwoman Tana Senn will fill the 41st District state representative seat vacated by Marcie Maxwell.

The Metropolitan King County Council appointed her Sept. 9. Senn had been the top choice of local Democratic Party officials to fill the vacancy created by Maxwell’s decision to join Gov. Jay Inslee’s education team.

Tana Senn

It marks a quick political ascension for Senn, a 42-year-old consultant who worked for a national Jewish women’s organization before coming to the Seattle area about a decade ago.